Mini-parks are here to stay!

By: Jon Clucas

Last August and September, several news sources, including Indianapolis Business Journal, the Indianapolis Star, and the Associated Press, reported that Mayor Ballard was considering selling some of Indianapolis' neighborhood mini-parks. Ballard was quoted in the Star saying, “I love green space, too, but I don't make the connection between a property the size of this room and green space.” In August some reports made Ballard seem committed to selling parks; the September articles mostly reported that the Mayor withdrew his plans to sell parks, but many of the articles seemed wary.

For now, we can put our wariness aside. Indy Parks Public Information Officer Paula Freund confirmed that the City of Indianapolis "is not in the business of selling parks." In fact, Indy Parks is planning on expanding in 2009, and in working with the Indianapolis Parks Foundation, one of its four priorities is land acquisition. In addition, Indy Parks is in conversations with Rupert's Kids (a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping troubled teens and directed by Rupert Boneham) to expand the involvement of Rupert's Kids in maintaining Indy Parks properties. Rupert's Kids already maintain nine city-owned mini-parks effectively through the Park Adoption Program, saving the city park maintenance costs; the teenagers involved with Rupert's Kids are paid by the organization. Not only do Indy Parks hope to have Rupert's Kids take over maintenance of an additional thirteen mini-parks this year, Rupert's Kids may take over maintenance of two larger parks this year as well.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is also planning on adding parks this year. Each year KIB tries to build or improve six to nine pocket parks. As a nonprofit organization, KIB's work comes at no cost to the city. KIB's pocket parks are maintained by neighborhood associations and other project partners, also at no cost to the city. This year, KIB plans to help the Global Peace Initiative build a new pocket park on Prospect Street near Santorini Greek Kitchen.

Some parks are built and maintained without any involvement from Indy Parks or Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. If one of these parks is sold, the buyer could likely be interested in developing and maintaining the park beyond what the seller was capable of. Including regional parks, community parks, and neighborhood mini-parks, Indy Parks currently owns 206 parks, many of which are located in the Southeast Square. That number will not go down in 2009, although it might go up. In short, no mini-parks are disappearing in 2009.